LADY'S WINGS

Somewhere over the Arctic... A Boeing 777 buffeted by a violent crosswind drops from mammatus clouds looking like raging demons. Inside the cockpit, MIRA KAUL (32), the Asian Indian pilot with a cupid’s bow lip and scarlet bindi between her gutsy eyes breathes quicker with a fight-or-flight reaction as the thunderstorm rages. The fuel starts to freeze, but the snag doesn't shatter her confidence. She averts a major mishap and saves hundreds of passengers aboard Air India flight en route to New York. At the arrivals terminal, travelers scatter to see some FBI COPS with Dutch Shepherds frisk an unattended pink vanity case. Mira turns back to see what all the commotion is about. ANJUM, a South Asian man in 50s, roaming like a lost traveler, bumps into her. Eyeing him with a sense of déjà vu, she asks if they’ve met before, but he doesn’t recall a prior meeting. TIMES SQUARE. A lavish women’s day party is in full swing at a revolving restaurant decked out in yellow mimosa flowers. Mira clad in a black, thigh-high slit, off shoulder gown scopes out the gathering with her unsettled eyes. She dodges past PAPARAZZI tailing along while looking for her daughter. In an empty hallway, her daughter TANYA (5), wearing glasses bigger than her mischievous face, plays alone with her teddy. She freezes up, scans into the shadows, and drops her teddy when someone claps out of nowhere. Anjum materializes out of the shadows. Carrying a Krispy Kreme box, he inches toward her with purpose. At the party, Mira heaves a sigh to spot Tanya but is concerned to see her hands soiled with chocolate. When Tanya recalls a gentleman offering her donuts, Mira reminds her to stay away from strangers, especially men. Mira’s frequent travels for work make Tanya upset coz she hates to be alone. A monster Tanya encounters in her nightmares scares the hell out of her. Mira then receives the Woman of the Year Award from the airline's CEO. As the guests give her a thundering ovation, DEEP SINGH, 30, a dark handsome tycoon in tuxedo, quickens his pace while he accompanies Mira to the dais as if it’s the greatest opportunity to hobnob with the riches and paparazzi. ERIC TURNER, a Forbes reporter, who wants to feature Mira's interview, commends India for having the highest number of female commercial pilots in the world. Mira revels in her new-found fame as the poster child for female airline pilots. The way she has gone from rags to riches inspires those who could not get silver spoon upbringing, yet want to reach for the sky. When Mira announces her upcoming wedding with Deep, a troubling text on his smartphone distracts him. He has lost $2 million in a deal. Anjum emerges out of the half-light, cranes his neck to snoop around Mira's stature looking swell, then hides behind the gathering. She is overwhelmed by compliments as quite a few guests pump her hand in congratulations. A guest notices a scar on Mira's foot and compels her to recall the cause. Anjum watches Mira like a hawk as she grabs a bottle of wine and downs it in one draught. The restaurant appears to revolve faster and faster... DELHI, INDIA. YOUNG MIRA (10) in ragged tunic chases barefoot a yellow school bus down the road. She catches her breath and leans forward with her hands on the knees when the bus has gone. Her mother, RAMYA (30), widowed and unschooled lady in 30s, draped in mussy sari comes scanning traffic across the road. Her makeup is loud. Her oily jet black hair is braided with a red ribbon. Ramya watches from afar as a reckless rickshaw driver runs over Mira's foot. At a crowded hospital, Ramya and Mira wait hours for medical attention. When a nurse finally looks at their paperwork, she moves on to the next patient. A confused Mira asks her mother why they’re being ignored, but she receives no answer. In the present day, Mira retreats to the bar and befriends VINCENT GILBERT, 25, an African-American bartender. Vincent gets worried to see FBI interrogating a group of guests while Mira pays no heed. Eric approaches Mira to learn more about her life journey, especially her teenage affair with a big tycoon Deep since their schooldays. Anjum walks up and pumps Mira’s hand, offering congratulations. When he introduces himself as Yusuf Ahmad, Mira is surprised to note his tattoo. She recalls their past... Back in 2003, emergency vehicles surround a coalmine after an accident somewhere in India. Ramya and young Mira wait anxiously nearby until “Uncle” Anjum delivers the news: Mira's father has died. Weeks later, Ramya struggles to make ends meet when Anjum offers an opportunity –- his friend is a recruitment agent who can provide an emporium sales job in Delhi. Ramya and young Mira arrive in New Delhi, where Anjum promises that Mira will attend the city’s best school. Mira daydreams about becoming a pilot when she grows up, but Ramya believes that only males are entitled to become pilots. Ramya's handed-down values turn Mira off. At a seedy building in Paharganj, Anjum introduces his friends SYED and NOORI who offer Ramya a guesthouse and an emporium job contract. Ramya and Mira are soon taken to Garstin Bastion Road, a locale infamous for its whorehouses. They’re both shocked as Noori welcomes them to her brothel. Later that night, Ramya and Mira try to sneak away but are caught by Noori, who explains that there’s no escape -- Ramya’s job contract is indeed an adoption form, and a childless couple will soon adopt Mira. Ramya is devastated by the news. Mira's dream to study in a good school is crushed under the circumstances. In the present day, when Mira laments her lost childhood, Anjum insists that he was unaware of Ramya’s situation while running his export business in Dhaka. When Mira inquires why Anjum has come to the party, he reveals that Deep is his business partner and has invited him with the promise to return an old debt of a hundred thousand dollars. Anjum fails to keep his cool when Mira tells him that this isn’t right time and right place to meet Deep. A chirpy Tanya comes running to Mira. When Anjum coddles Tanya, she thanks him for the donuts he offered. Mira gets uptight and asks Anjum to keep his hands off her daughter. She regrets shaking hands with the man, supposedly her father figure, who can't stop fooling her to date. Mira asks Anjum about his penance for betraying them. She is scared stiff as he threatens to damage her public image in the presence of media if he doesn't get his money. Anjum suddenly steps away for an urgent phone call. The caller warns him that the FBI are hunting him down. Inside the Jacob K. Javits Federal building, the Special Agents check out the same pink vanity case that they confiscated at the Airport. A tatty receipt READS, “Brownsville Shoppe.” Then drama unfolds in Brownsville, Brooklyn -- police cars swarm a no-frills hotel where cops discover ten semi-conscious and bruised ASIAN GIRLS. A quick search also uncovers Anjum’s fake passport and a bracelet. From the fridge’s door, a cop plucks a post-it note, “Collect your money at the Revolving Restaurant tonight.” In the restaurant, couples looking tipsy flock to the dance floor as lights dim and music rolls. Mira and Deep are smooching. Shattered by the face-off with Anjum, she desperately hopes for Deep's support. The FBI gatecrash the party in search of Anjum who has already fled the place. Deep does not want Mira to identify Anjum as a trafficker she knows from her past because the fact that Mira's mother was a sex worker can tarnish his reputation. In the middle of altercation, they both are shocked to learn that their daughter has gone missing. While Mira is busy in searching Tanya, the FBI show the same bracelet to her. The moment she recognizes the bracelet, the harsh fact that it belongs to Deep hits her hard. Nevertheless, she does not lay down her arms in the rat race and proves to be a strong single mother by rescuing Tanya from Anjum's captivity. Risking her global stature, she testifies against Anjum and exposes Deep's network of a major forex fraud totaling two million. Vincent being a great support during the ordeal wins Mira's and Tanya's hearts. Tanya makes Mira shed the stereotype -- never put all men in a pigeonhole because of a handful of crooks. GARSTIN BASTION ROAD, DELHI. Vincent and Mira stop next to a billboard with the AD: Opening Soon -- Ramya Public School offering free education to anyone that comes from this address. A dozen pigeons flying past the billboard seize their attention. They look into each other’s eyes and smile with hope and optimism as Mira launches a school that offers free education to the children of sex workers that are deprived of basic education.